Valley: Focus clearly on fullback in bid for playoff berth

Nathan Wheeler should be a tired young man by the end of the 1999 season. But he should also be a happy young man.

Valley will administer a heavy dose of the 6-foot, 190-pound fullback in an effort to power the Patriots to their first playoff appearance since 1993.

"He is really going to have to carry the load for us," Valley coach Chris Burtch said. "Last year we gave him the ball 20 times a game. I think we might give it to him 25 or 30 times this year. When I told him that, his eyes lit up and he said `I can do it, coach.' "

Wheeler gained 900 yards last year while sharing the rushing duties. This season Wheeler is the only returning starter in the backfield but has the size and ability to dominate games.

However, the Patriots will have to work hard in the preseason to develop a cohesive offensive front. Only 290-pound junior Jeffrey Butler and 250-pound senior Brody Davis return. Ben Pigg, a part-time starter, also returns.

"We're not going to have the mammoth front line we had last year. We're just going to have average size," Burtch said.

The defensive backfield will be anchored by a possible all-stater in B.J. Price at free safety. Last season he was the third-leading tackler on the team and one of the Patriots' top headhunters.

"B.J. just has a real knack for finding the ball," Burtch said. "He has really good speed and he can come up and make tackles for no gain or for a loss. You usually don't want your free safety to make a lot of tackles, but he doesn't make them in the defensive backfield. He makes them at the line."

Valley enters its sixth season of 11-man play after spending several years as a six-man school. Burtch enters his fifth season, and the Patriots have made big strides every year. In 1997, Valley improved to 3-7.

Last season Valley turned that record around 180 degrees and went 7-3, just missing the playoffs by a game.

"We're trying to build the program back up and we just can't get overwhelmed by everything," Burtch said. "We have to go out every play and play all-out. We've had this class through junior high and JV and they've won at every level. They're not used to losing. Now we need to get over the hump."

Valley will get an immediate test with trips to Memphis and Nazareth. WHEELER